Folklore within Gnaoua Festival

In Essauoira, Morocco is the annual the Gnaoua (Gnawa) World Music Festival gathers artists and tourists from around the world looking for a chance to participate in ritualistic healing at a grand scale. Traditionally, Gnawa musicians perform ceremonies to heal illnesses which require a form of payment. The festival is a chance to place mainly Gnawa musicians at the center in an effort to profit the most from their performances, both culturally and financially. Gnawa music, traditionally practiced by slaves who descended from Morocco and Algeria, the call-and-response chants became embraced by the Moroccan community and entered mainstream society.